Wednesday, January 29, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Jan. 29, 2020: Huntingdon County superintendents attend press conference to discuss the impacts of charter schools on local districts


Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Jan. 29, 2020


“This isn't a new problem. There is a better way to fund charter schools, and it's not rocket science.
·         If school districts could deduct their charter school tuition from the tuition calculation to ensure that it didn't unfairly ratchet up the tuition rate from year to year, it would save them $450 million.
·         If school districts could use their actual percentage of special education students in the special education charter school tuition calculation instead of a fictitious number, it would save them $65 million.
·         If school districts could cap the annual charter school tuition rate growth at their Act 1 index to mitigate annual cost increases, it would save them $96 million.
·         If the state would take on the cost of cyber charter school tuition since the state is responsible for authorizing and overseeing cyber charter schools, it would save school districts $520 million.
We need an honest conversation that leads to a real, meaningful and immediate solution, and we need it this fall. We all have to be at the table and agree that the charter school funding status quo can't continue. Failing to address this critical issue cancels out the education increases in the newly enacted state budget and ensures that the burden on school districts and taxpayers gets worse.”
Source: PASBO Blog February 2019: https://www.pasbo.org/blog_home.asp?Display=105

Local Huntingdon County superintendents attend press conference
Huntingdon Daily News By JOSHUA BLATTENBERGER Staff Writer January 28, 2020
The superintendents of the four Huntingdon County school districts attended a press conference at the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit in McVeytown Monday to discuss the impacts of charter schools on local districts. The conference, coordinated by Mifflin County School District Superintendent James Estep, began with a summation of the primary issues: the financial burden charter schools place on school districts and the negative impacts they often have on the education of children. “Not since British soldiers roamed free on Pennsylvania soil has there been a better example of taxation without representation,” Estep said on behalf of Pottstown School District Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez. “Cyber and (brick and mortar) charter schools take (millions of) tax dollars with no accountability, no oversight and often terrible results. They make a profit at the expense of our children, and our legislators have been letting them get away with it for two decades. The time for funding reform is right now.” The tuition for cyber and brick and mortar charter schools is paid for by local school districts, at times costing them upwards of millions of dollars every fiscal year, depending on the size of the district.

“It’s estimated that only seven of the 215 schools in the entire district have certified librarians on staff, according to the Pennsylvania Library Association. Seven! That’s a travesty and also an example of institutionalized inequity. One school that has a certified librarian on staff is Masterman, the high-performing magnet school on Spring Garden Street. Every school in the Philadelphia School District deserves access to the same.”
You should be outraged by the state of Philly public school libraries | Jenice Armstrong
Inquirer by Jenice Armstrong @JeniceArmstrong | jarmstrong@inquirer.com Updated: January 28, 2020 - 5:03 PM
My mother spent nearly her entire teaching career as a librarian at a public elementary school. That cinder-block-walled room was her world — and one she dragged me and almost every student she ever taught into and insisted we appreciate. Because of her, I became a voracious reader. She used to bribe me to wash the dishes by bringing home huge stacks of books. It was a sad day when she told me I had read all of the books in her school’s library. At the time, I didn’t even know that was possible. My mom’s long gone, but I found myself thinking about her last week after reading a colleague’s story about the sorry state of Philadelphia school libraries. She would have been outraged, and we should be as well.

Documents show Scranton School District leaders knew about lead, asbestos
Times-Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL, STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: JANUARY 29, 2020
SCRANTON — Environmental consultants urged the Scranton School District to shut off more than two dozen faucets and drinking fountains a year ago because of unsafe lead levels. In some instances, the tainted water continued to flow. A Times-Tribune review of environmental reports on Tuesday shows a lack of action by district personnel after 2018 water tests. Reports received by the district last week reveal that officials neglected to fix all of the problems. At least one instance dates back to an initial round of testing in 2016. In several emails from January 2019, an employee of Clarks Summit-based Guzek Associates informed Jeff Brazil, the chief operations officer at the time, about high lead levels at several schools and recommended shutting off water to those sinks and fountains. The company even urged the district to shut off all sinks and fountains in classrooms at William Prescott Elementary. The latest test results show the district did not follow the advice. The lack of action from past leaders is now part of the ongoing criminal probe of the school district.

Fearing unsafe asbestos levels after cleanup, Elkin teachers walk out
District and PFT officials said the area had been properly sealed and would not contaminate the rest of the building.
The notebook by Bill Hangley Jr. January 27 — 7:06 pm, 2020
Fearing that a planned asbestos cleanup could do more harm than good, staff members at Elkin Elementary staged an impromptu work stoppage Monday, saying they don’t want to enter the building until Philadelphia School District officials complete tests showing it to be free of toxins. “Our demands are clear – give us proof. This is a reasonable request,” said Cristina Gutierrez, a kindergarten teacher at Elkin. About a hundred people gathered in front of the North Philadelphia school early Monday morning, including teachers, parents, and students, to demand high-quality testing to confirm that the building is safe. Officials’ assurances, they said, are not enough. “They told us that it’s safe, but I’m not letting my baby in there,” said Tina Ramos, parent of an Elkin 4th grader. Elkin staff say that they first heard Friday about a planned cleanup of damaged asbestos in a boiler room, in a message from the principal. District officials didn’t formally notify the Elkin community until Sunday night, when a notice went out via text messages, emails, and robocalls. The notice said that a cleanup would be underway, but that the building would be safe to occupy.

“Statewide assessment scores from 2017 and 2018 showed consistent underperformance. Innovative Arts Academy saw negative growth in all but one subject in one year — the Keystone exam measuring literature in 2017. This means a comparison of scores among the same group in previous years failed to show any improvement. The charter school’s average growth index in 2018 was among the worst in the state, according to data presented by the school district. The school performed in the bottom 3% of state schools in math and English language arts for grades 4-8 and the bottom 1% in Algebra I and literature. In biology, Innovative Arts Academy scored in the bottom 14% of schools statewide.”
After charter denial, Innovative Arts Academy Charter School forges ahead, confident of appeal
The Catasauqua Area School Board voted to deny renewing the charter for the Innovative Arts Academy Charter School, but leaders there say the school will forge ahead, confident that they have a good case to make before the state Charter School Appeals Board.
By SARAH M. WOJCIK THE MORNING CALL | JAN 28, 2020 | 8:22 AM
The message from the Innovative Arts Academy Charter School, whose charter renewal was denied last week by the Catasauqua Area School Board, is one of resiliency. Trustee President Dave Rank was adamant about the future during a board meeting Jan. 15, less than 24 hours after the sponsoring district voted unanimously against renewing the charter for the career-focused school. The charter school, which serves grades six through 12, is appealing the decision to the state Charter School Appeals Board. “We’re going to be operating just as we normally do here. We’re going to be hoping that everything else goes forward positively," Rank said of the charter school’s plans to appeal the non-renewal. Marc Fisher, the attorney handling the charter renewal fight for Innovative Arts Academy, said it was vital that the community understands that the school board vote was not a final ruling on the future of the school, which counts on enrollment to bring in tuition dollars to fund the school. An update shared at the trustees meeting put the current enrollment at 565.  “This really needs to be fully conveyed,” Fisher said this week. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and that needs to be corrected. The school is fully operational and will remain fully operation throughout the entire appeals process.”

Hundreds pack charter school auditorium in Allentown for school choice week
WFMZ by Will Lewis Jan 28, 2020 Updated 11 hrs ago
Parents choosing where their child goes to school may be hurting the bottom line in area districts
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Hundreds packed the auditorium at the Executive Education Academy Charter School in Allentown. It's national school choice week, a celebration for families and students being able to attend any school they want. "Today is about celebrating equality for all students in the state of Pennsylvania, no matter what their race or zip code is," said Ana Meyers, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools. The event is one of fifty thousand nationwide. It's also not only about charter schools. School choice also includes cyber, home, or parochial schools.  "Education is not a one size fits all, every student is different and they have different needs," Meyer said. Bethlehem area superintendent Joseph Roy says the change in making a school choice has come down to dollars and cents. "Now the choice movement wants the average tax payer to pay for those parents' kids to go to parochial, religious, private of charter schools," Dr. Roy said. Rally organizers say traditional school districts always complain about the funding is always the issue and on that point, Dr. Roy agrees. 
"Public money should support public schools," Dr. Roy said.

Lower Merion may not get later school start times next fall as debate over how to get more sleep for teens continues
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: January 28, 2020- 3:53 PM
Lower Merion school officials are recommending that the district delay changes to next year’s schedule after a plan to start elementary school earlier each day, so older students could sleep later, drew significant community opposition. At a meeting Monday night, parents expressed frustration that after years of discussion, the district was delaying the prospect of a later high school starting time. Lower Merion is the latest local district to consider a growing movement across the country to push back start times to let older students get more sleep. While the Lower Merion school board is still expected to vote on the proposal this spring, district officials say they don’t believe any change should be implemented this fall. They are also considering a new proposal that would start middle school first, followed by high school and elementary. “I recognize this does not necessarily fall in line with the science, but I do see the complications” with the current proposal, Superintendent Robert Copeland said.

PA Cyber School Comparisons
PA Virtual Charter School Website
There are 15 cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania. These schools have a few similarities and many differences.  Per the PA Department of Education (PDE), a cyber charter school is an independent public school and a non-profit organization that uses technology to deliver a significant portion of curriculum and instruction. Cyber charter schools are established and operate under a charter through the Department of Education. The differences between schools are vast, and this section focuses on providing data to help families learn some of the key differentiators.

Pennsylvania governor has $2.2M to help Democrats win seats
AP News By MARC LEVY January 28, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is renewing his push for his top priorities that have stalled in Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature, and the Democrat will have at least a couple million dollars to spend in this year’s legislative elections to try to improve his chances. Wolf’s campaign raised $2.8 million in 2019, the first year of his second term, and had $2.2 million left over heading into 2020 to help elect Democrats to the state Legislature, a campaign spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Wolf also was announcing Tuesday that he is renewing his push to raise the minimum wage and to win approval of a tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production to underwrite a $4.5 billion “Restore Pennsylvania” infrastructure program. Wolf, now in his sixth year in office, has seen the Republican-controlled House reject a minimum wage increase and a tax on Marcellus Shale each of the past five years. At the same time, Wolf has never been closer to winning a Democratic majority in one of the chambers after Democrats picked up 16 House and Senate seats in 2018′s elections. “There’s still a lot of things he wants to get done, and he’s going to keep fighting for those things,” Wolf campaign spokeswoman Beth Melena said. “He thinks more Democratic partners in Harrisburg will help him cross over the finish line on some of those items.”

State provides grants for school cafeteria equipment
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com JAN 28, 2020 2:26 PM
The Pennsylvania Department of Education on Tuesday announced more than $925,000 in competitive grants for schools across the state to purchase new food service equipment for cafeterias. The grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is awarded to schools which participate in the National School Lunch Program and have 50% or more of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. “Students perform better in school when they have access to regular, nutritious meals,” Pedro A. Rivera, Pennsylvania’s secretary of education, said in a statement. “These grants will help schools upgrade equipment so they can continue to provide the essential meals that students need.”

“More than a dozen sources familiar with the FBI’s inquiry have described it as a five-year-long probe that has examined everything from Johnson’s involvement in bargain-rate sales of city-owned land to Chavous’ work as an education consultant, campaign adviser, and advocate for charter schools.”
Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson is bracing for indictment Wednesday and vowing to fight the feds
Inquirer by Chris Brennan and Jeremy Roebuck, Updated: January 28, 2020- 6:05 PM
Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson said he and his wife, political consultant Dawn Chavous, expect federal prosecutors to announce charges against them as soon as Wednesday, but he vowed the couple will ultimately clear their names. In an interview Tuesday with The Inquirer, Johnson and his lawyer, Patrick Egan, said they believe the grand jury indictment will focus on the relationships among the councilman’s City Hall office, Chavous’ consulting firm, and Universal Companies, a South Philadelphia community development nonprofit and charter-school operator founded by the music producer Kenny Gamble.  Based on conversations they have had with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, they anticipate that prosecutors will attempt to prove that Universal gave Chavous a consulting job in exchange for the councilmember’s assistance in clearing the way for the nonprofit’s proposed redevelopment of the Royal Theater on South Street in 2014.

In early budget talks, East Penn eyes 3% tax hike
By MARGIE PETERSON THE MORNING CALL | JAN 28, 2020 | 7:00 AM
Early budget projections have East Penn School District looking at a possible 3% property tax increase in June — before it accounts for a proposal to reduces taxes for senior citizens in the district. On Monday night, Robert Saul, director of business administration, gave school directors a look at some of the expected cost increases for the 2020-21 budget year. Saul anticipates the cost of wages for district staff rising by 2.45% and expenditures for benefits, including health care and pension contributions, increasing by 4.32%. Earlier, the school board voted not to raise taxes more than 3%, which is East Penn’s Act I Index. A 3% tax hike would be an increase of 0.5514 mills to 18.9322 mills. At that rate, a homeowner with property assessed at the 2019 district average of $211,450 would pay $4,003 in school property taxes, or about $117 more than the previous year.  However, administrators and school board members emphasized it’s early in the budget season and a lot can change.

Journalist with an education message white America may not want to hear
Atlanta Journal Constitution By Maureen Downey Monday, January 27, 2020 @ 8:54 PM
In a much-discussed New York Times essay, African American journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones explained the decision she and her husband made to enroll their 4-year-old in a high poverty school rather than use their privilege to get her into a better-performing public school favored by the white parents gentrifying Brooklyn. 
Among the alarmed responses from readers:
--Your kid only has one education and you can't experiment with it.
--The idea that dumbing down my children to allow the whole to be better is absurd.
In response to critics who insisted she shouldn’t sacrifice her child to a social justice agenda, Hannah-Jones asked a question that’s become central to her work: “Whose children should be sacrificed?” America’s been all too willing to sacrifice its black and brown children, said Hannah-Jones, who spoke at the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute conference Friday.  She cited the retreat from integrated schools and the rise of a “convenient” narrative characterizing black Americans as less committed to education. That narrative ignores the African Americans who died for the offenses of learning to read or trying to send their children to public schools that they were supporting through their taxes, said Hannah-Jones, a founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting and recipient of a MacArthur Genius grant.

Don’t be fooled. Tax credits for private school are about dismantling public education.
Kentucky.com BY LINDA BLACKFORD JANUARY 27, 2020 12:40 PM 
I was in college before I found out there were people in the world who did not think Franklin D. Roosevelt was a great president. Sheltered, maybe. But yes, it was a revelation that some opposed the New Deal as a way to pull the United States out of the Great Depression. It’s a pretty basic and consistent political divide in the this country: Is government a good thing that builds roads, protects us, educates us and provides basic social safety nets, or is it a malevolent entity, most of which should be dismantled and handed over to the private sector? That’s what brings us around to scholarship tax credits, a modification of school vouchers that’s made its way through various conservative byways to land in Kentucky with the help of Sen. Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester. Alvarado and other advocates say Senate Bill 110 will help low-income students who are being failed by the public schools. That sounds like a reasonable argument until you realize that scholarship tax credits are one of the many ideas started by free market conservatives to dismantle public schools and hand their services over to the private sector. Don’t take my word for it. It’s right here on the web site of the Cato Institute, a free market think tank, first fully funded by right-wing political behemoth Charles Koch.

Tweet from @Deana_Gamble in Mayor’s office: Help shape the future of public education in our city by applying to serve on the Board of Education. Learn more about this opportunity and how to submit an application by this Friday, 1/31.
Apply for the Philly Board of Education
January 7, 2020  Sarah Peterson  Mayor’s Office of EducationOffice of the Mayor 
As required at the start of a new mayoral term, the Educational Nominating Panel is now accepting applications for the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Applications are due on January 31, 2020.  The Board of Education is charged with the administration, management, and operation of the School District of Philadelphia. As part of the Board of Education, members will be expected to work collectively to oversee all major policy, budgetary, and financial decisions for the School District. Among other duties, the Board of Education will appoint and evaluate the Superintendent of Schools, adopt the annual operating and capital budgets, authorize the receiving or expending of funds, and authorize charter schools. In addition, Board of Education members will be expected to attend regular monthly public meetings, biannual meetings with members of City Council and the Mayor, hearings, committee meetings, and regular visits to public schools. This is an unpaid position which demands many hours of dedicated service each month, both at in-person meetings and in preparation for meetings.

PSBA Announces Completion of Commonwealth Education Blueprint
We are happy to announce the Commonwealth Education Blueprint is complete! The project is a statewide vision for the future of public education in Pennsylvania and is a collaborative effort of individuals that represent the many faces of public education.

PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.

Allegheny County Legislative Forum on Education March 12
by Allegheny Intermediate Unit Thu, March 12, 2020 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Join us on March 12 at 7:00 pm for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's annual Allegheny County Legislative Forum. The event will feature a discussion with state lawmakers on a variety of issues impacting public schools. We hope you will join us and be part of the conversation about education in Allegheny County.

Five compelling reasons for .@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders to come to the Capitol for Advocacy Day on March 23rd:
Charter Reform
Cyber Charter Reform
Basic Ed Funding
Special Ed Funding
PLANCON
Register at http://mypsba.org

School Leaders: Register today for @PSBA @PASA @PAIU Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 23rd and you could be the lucky winner of my school board salary for the entire year. Register now at http://mypsba.org

Charter Schools; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
PENNSYLVANIA BULLETIN PROPOSED RULEMAKING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [ 22 PA. CODE CH. 711 ]

PSBA New and Advanced School Director Training in Dec & Jan
Additional sessions now being offered in Bucks and Beaver Counties
Do you want high-impact, engaging training that newly elected and reseated school directors can attend to be certified in new and advanced required training? PSBA has been supporting new school directors for more than 50 years by enlisting statewide experts in school law, finance and governance to deliver a one-day foundational training. This year, we are adding a parallel track of sessions for those who need advanced school director training to meet their compliance requirements. These sessions will be delivered by the same experts but with advanced content. Look for a compact evening training or a longer Saturday session at a location near you. All sites will include one hour of trauma-informed training required by Act 18 of 2019. Weekend sites will include an extra hour for a legislative update from PSBA’s government affairs team.
New School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration opens 3:00 p.m., program starts 3:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m., dinner with break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., program starts at 9:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Advanced School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration with dinner provided opens at 4:30 p.m., program starts 5:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m.
Saturdays: Registration opens at 10:00 a.m., program starts at 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Locations and dates

Hear relevant content from statewide experts, district practitioners and PSBA government affairs staff at PSBA’s annual membership gathering. PSBA Sectional Advisors and Advocacy Ambassadors are on-site to connect with district leaders in their region and share important information for you to take back to your district.
Locations and dates

Sectional Meetings are 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. (across all locations). Light refreshments will be offered.
Cost: Complimentary for PSBA member entities.
Registration: Registration is now open. To register, please sign into myPSBA and look for Store/Registration on the left.

Congress, Courts, and a National Election: 50 Million Children’s Futures Are at Stake. Be their champion at the 2020 Advocacy Institute.
NSBA Advocacy Institute Feb. 2-4, 2020 Marriot Marquis, Washington, D.C.
Join school leaders from across the country on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2-4, 2020 to influence the legislative agenda & shape decisions that impact public schools. Check out the schedule & more at https://nsba.org/Events/Advocacy-Institute

All school leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education. Click here for more information or register at http://www.mypsba.org/
School directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you need assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org

Register now for Network for Public Education Action National Conference in Philadelphia March 28-29, 2020
Registration, hotel information, keynote speakers and panels:

Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may be affiliated with.

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